You always back your best players: LSG head coach defends decision to send Pooran for Super Over
Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer defended the decision to send Nicholas Pooran to bat in a Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders despite his dismissal on the first ball, stating the team stood by its best players in high-pressure moments. Pooran, struggling for form, was backed due to his past record against Sunil Narine, though the gamble failed as LSG lost. Langer emphasized trust in elite players even during slumps, calling Pooran's rough patch a natural part of the game. The loss marked LSG's fourth consecutive home defeat, severely damaging their playoff hopes.
- ▪Justin Langer defended sending Nicholas Pooran to face Sunil Narine in the Super Over, citing Pooran's historical record against Narine.
- ▪Pooran was bowled first ball by Narine, leaving LSG with just 1/2 in their Super Over, leading to a KKR victory.
- ▪Despite Pooran's ongoing form slump, both Langer and captain Rishabh Pant backed the decision, emphasizing trust in proven performers.
- ▪The loss was LSG's fourth straight at home, dropping them to 10th in the IPL standings and nearly ending their playoff chances.
- ▪Langer acknowledged Pooran's human vulnerability during tough phases, praising his effort to regain form.
Full article excerpt tap to expand
{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/always-back-best-players-lsg-091400051.html","headline":"You always back your best players: LSG head coach defends decision to send Pooran for Super Over","datePublished":"2026-04-28T09:14:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T09:14:00.000Z","keywords":["Sunil Narine","Nicholas Pooran","Justin Langer","LSG","Kolkata Knight Riders"],"description":"LUCKNOW: A day after Lucknow Super Giants’ Super Over gamble backfired against Kolkata Knight Riders, head coach Justin Langer defended the decision to send ...","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Yahoo Sports","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/cv/apiv2/default/icons/favicon_y112_112.png","width":112,"height":112},"url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/"},"author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Fazal Khan","url":"","jobTitle":""},"creator":{"@type":"Person","name":"Fazal Khan","url":"","jobTitle":""},"provider":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Willow Sports","url":"http://www.willow.tv/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":301,"height":100,"url":"https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/IF9NGuErKp6OC6deJYcWKw--~B/aD0xMDA7dz0zMDE7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/WillowSports-Light.png"}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mWYoCWbE5Zui9WV7Q3QChw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/willow_sports_articles_673/71e808399b05e8d137daa01ab4ebc5f4","height":675,"width":1200},"thumbnailUrl":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mWYoCWbE5Zui9WV7Q3QChw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTI0MDA7aD0xMzUwO2NmPXdlYnA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/willow_sports_articles_673/71e808399b05e8d137daa01ab4ebc5f4"}Story byYou always back your best players: LSG head coach defends decision to send Pooran for Super OverFazal KhanTue, April 28, 2026 at 9:14 AM UTC·2 min readLUCKNOW: A day after Lucknow Super Giants’ Super Over gamble backfired against Kolkata Knight Riders, head coach Justin Langer defended the decision to send an out-of-form Nicholas Pooran to face Sunil Narine, saying the team had chosen to back “its best players” in the tightest phase of the match.Sunday night’s IPL game at the Ekana Stadium finished with both sides on 155, before Narine turned the Super Over decisively KKR’s way. Pooran was bowled first ball, LSG were restricted to 1/2 and KKR needed just one delivery to complete the win.“We knew Narine would bowl, and if you look at Nicholas Pooran’s record, he’s faced Narine more than almost anyone in world cricket. We felt he was still our best option,” Langer said. “I know he hasn’t hit form yet, but if anyone can produce a big moment, it’s Nicky. You back your best players. He has struggled, but the numbers say no one plays Narine better than him. Unfortunately, it didn’t come off.”It is curious that Langer felt that way. After all, Narine had bowled a maiden over to the lefthander in the Super Over in 2014 in a CPL match between T & T Red Steel and Guyana Amazon Warriors and even dismissed him. Surely, the LSG support staff should have been aware of that.Pooran’s failure extended a lean run that has hurt LSG in a season now slipping away from them. The defeat was LSG’s fourth straight loss at home and dropped them to 10th in the standings, leaving them virtually out of playoff contention.Langer, though, was not willing to isolate Pooran. He said the West Indian,…
This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at Yahoo Sports.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Yahoo Sports
